Well I’d say that is the same for Italy, for the casual-ish consumer you don’t drink Burg because it’s not widely known and it’s not something made in your country, so you end up with supertuscans and brunellos and amarone and some Barolos. But if you venture into the enthusiast segment, for reds, the tendency toward burg and langhe is overwhelming. I don’t believe in pure coincidences…
@Chris_Seiber you do have a point, but I’m not sure if it matters that much.
That 1% still consist of many dozens of labels, every year. Still a big playground.
Plus it’s not like you need to be a “something-nerd”, you might as well have balanced drinking patterns with small preferences here and there.
That’s fair Michael, I don’t know the forum well enough. I was talking abour my IRL italian acquaintances.
I also see several smaller online shops (that don’t have any reference to burg or langhe in the name) selling much more langhe and burg (as in: different labels for sale) than anything else
It’s a sort of brand name here, so sure, there’s a sea of mediocrity. It doesn’t help that critics awarded the over-ripe, oaky, gimmicky stuff and ignored the classically styled, terroir-driven. But, that’s changing. We’re transitioning from an era an over-rated style being promoted as “the best” and getting the best market access and promotion. Take a stab next Berserker Day, as that’s a good self-selected group of small producers who are focused on making the best wines they can, rather than pandering to critics (or grocery store buyers).
I’ve had $100 Burgundies and $2,500 Burgundies. My response was the same: “meh!” I know palates are different, but I just don’t get the swooning some people do over Burgundy, and Pinot Noir in general.
Entry-level pinot noir is unquestionably overrated, IMO (entry-level as in, under $40 and easily available in most US markets). I’d say that most non-French pinot noir I’ve had is also overrated (at all price points), but after many meh experiences, I’m not really interested in spending a lot of money searching for examples that prove me wrong. I know the examples are out there, but there is too much straight Welch’s Grape Juice to navigate before getting to things with any sort of decent character.
I’ve learned over a few years of tasting Pinots that they’re definitely not all created equal. I tend not to “prefer” CA Pinots, but I’ve had quite a few that were very tasty and to my liking (i.e.: Burgundy and restrained OR Pinots). There’re a wide variety of styles so blanket exclusions are harsh IMHO.
Is Pinot overrated? Some yes, some no. I’m a big pinot fan, yet my currently open bottles are a 2012 Cab Franc and a 2016 Chianti Classico Riserva. There’re plenty of tasty “middleweight” wines in the world to help fill any (hopefully temporary) Pinot void.
So…I after much consternation went back to the original op posting and (even though I was not enthusiastic) listened to the “video”. The sum of the video is that Pinot is fickle grape that at best produces some of the most mind blowing wines in the world. Then he goes on to say that bad/poorly made/ wrong geography pinots are bad. Who could disagree? Who could not say this about any grape? To be clear he did not challenge the convention that pinot when well made is outstanding. Let’s move on from the stupid sensational headline.
Ohhh, there’s a very healthy contingent of Cab. Franc lovers on this board. I am one of them. I’m also part of the small, but very enthusiastic, group on this board who loves sherry (tasted a couple different ones last night, actually).
As to your question: I think for some people, there is a degree of mentor influence. As well as some degree of “wine community” influence. There is a saying among wine geeks: All Roads Lead To Burgundy. With social media being what it is these days, there is also some appeal to some folks to be flashing their Burg. bottles all over the place because that gets attention and, in many circles, is “cool.” Now, to be clear, many folks prefer Pinot Noir solely because it’s their favorite.
I bet you’re right. I bet you’re right even if we change “Burgundy” to Pinot Noir. But, if we took a poll as to which grape/appellation folks here drink most frequently, I would bet every dollar to my name that Pinot Noir/Burgundy would be the winners, and by a substantial margin, too.
Which kind of supports Daniele’s hypothesis/observation, imo. Assuming what you say is true, that dynamic tends to suggest macro-level wine preferences are, at least in part, influenced by what is popular/fashionable at the moment. I mean, it’s not as if Pinot Noir just suddenly became excellent over the past decade or two — and to the extent one might argue that it has, I’d say that likely applies to all varieties, not just Pinot.
Yeah, linked video seems to be notes on a single Pinot, with a bunch of intro-level info on the grape. We don’t seem to be the target audience, not sure why he thought it would be interesting to us.
I’m also part of the small, but very enthusiastic, group on this board who loves sherry (tasted a couple different ones last night, actually).